me

me
halloween 2009

Sunday, October 24, 2010

3 facts about fiber

The three facts that I discovered about fiber are:
1. oat bran is an excellent source of fiber. 50% of it is soluble and that helps to lower blood cholesterol
    levels.
    For me this is a great thing because I have high cholesterol. It is hereditary. So I guess I better look
    into eating oat bran for breakfast.
2. Most fiber pill actually contain little fiber and no other ingredients. It is much better for you to get your
    fiber from whole foods. Plus you get vitamins and minerals which the fiber pills are also lacking.
    I have always thought about buying glucomann fiber pills, but just could never bring myself around
    to doing it. It just always felt wrong. I guess I was smart for not doing it. It would have been a
    complete waste of money.
3. Excessive fiber intake can cause fiber to bind with certain essential minerals and cause them to be 
    eliminated instead of absorbed into the bloodstream.
    Wow, that's not good. Don't want to go there. I have worried about this too. What if I eat too much
    fiber. I think it would have to be on a continual basis though. Like day after day. I would be afraid
    it would make me feel too full, and then I wouldn't eat enough of the good stuff that I need.
    I am really enjoying these classes. I am learning so much and absorbing it like a sponge.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

my five interesting facts about protein

1. There is no life without protein
    Protein is used to build, maintain and repair the tissues of the body and it
    is contained in every part of the body. So, yes without protein, our bodies
    would die.
2. Americans consume twice as much protein as their bodies need.
    In eating more protein than is needed, the excess in eliminated through
    the urea. It can cause strain on liver function because urea is processed
    through the liver and it can also cause strain on the kidneys because urea
    is converted to urine through the kidneys. Which can lead to kidney failure.
3. Protein can help you gain weight and lose weight.
    Protein supplements can help you gain weight in combination with a high
    caloric diet.
    Actual protein foods can help you lose weight by creating a thermic effect
    that helps to burn excess body fat.
4. 70% of our protein comes from animal products.
    I think when it comes to 70% of our protein coming from animal products
    that we need to balance it out with more plant protein.
5. Amino acids are the bulding blocks of protein.
    We get some of the amino acids only from the food we eat, those being
    essential amino acids. The rest being non-essential, meaning that our
    bodies can create them. So we once again need to make sure we are
    getting adequate amounts of protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and
    minerals from a wide variety of foods. Which enables us to have a healthy
    balanced diet and then we can enjoy a healthy balanced life.